NEWS

The Op Shop wins the Regional Audience Award for Best Short Film

2012-04-17T01:06:17Z

Director Lee Rogers and wife Kate CeberanoThe votes are in and the people have spoken - 800 voters from 20 towns in regional NSW voted Lee Rogers’ film The Op Shop to the top of the tally to win the 2012 Young At Heart Short Film Regional Audience Award!

The Op Shop, a cheeky comedy about three ladies working in a charity shop who come across a mystery donation, won by a significant lead, with second place going to Punch Drunk, the winner of the Sydney Audience Award.

Director Lee Rogers, who takes away the $1000 award cash prize, said, “I'm extremely chuffed about the great response to The Op Shop! And am very proud of our wonderful cast and crew, who brought the film to life!

“The Op Shop just made its international debut at Aspen Shortsfest in the USA and looks set to have a long life on the international festival circuit. Closer to home, SBS has secured the Australian TV broadcast rights, so it's very exciting that more Australians will get more chances to see the film.

“The cash prize will help to keep promoting the film and getting more audiences around the world to see the film. I dedicate the Audience Award to all the wonderful people who work in op shops around Australia, who help find homes for our treasures great and small, and in turn generate significant donations for many charities and groups in our community.”

At Young At Heart, our thanks go out to everyone who came along to the regional screenings of the Short Film Awards and put your vote in the box. We’d also like to thank Ageing, Disability and Homecare, Department of Family and Community Services, whose generous support made the regional screenings possible.

Look forward to seeing you all at a Young At Heart Short Film Awards screening next year!

Congratulations to our raffle winners!

2012-04-03T05:44:34Z

Congratulations to Aura Beudaua, J E Chivell and Bev Spring, the winners of our 2012 Young At Heart raffle!

Aura won first prize and now has a double Sydney Film Festival subscription and a $1500 travel credit with Globus, while J E Chivell won the second prize of tickets to Sydney Theatre Company and the Seymour Centre, as well as a case of premium Cellarmasters wines. And Bev Spring collected tickets to IMAX cinema, Sydney Comedy Festival and a case of Cellarmasters wines for third prize.

A huge thanks to our prize sponsors once again for making the raffle possible - the money raised goes towards making sure that next year's Young At Heart is even bigger than this year.

Congratulations as well to all three winners, and commiserations to those who missed out this time - but never fear, we have plenty more to give away, with tickets for four different movies to win in this week's enewsletter! Make sure you're signed up here!

Punch Drunk knocks over the Young At Heart Short Film Awards

2012-03-26T05:43:33Z

It was a closely fought contest, with audience and judges alike concurring that the standard of the short films in competition was exceptional.

However, in the end the moving drama Punch Drunk knocked out the competition, taking away both the Audience Award for Best Film, and the jury-awarded NSW Seniors Week Award for Best Senior Talent, presented by Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Family and Community Services, which went to actor Reg Gorman for his role as Joe Sparro, a former boxer suffering Dementia Pugilistica.

(Watch the trailer here.)

Punch Drunk director Sam Wark (far right) with Jury Members Bruce Elder, Claudia Santangelo and Barry Watterson (L to R)Jury member Bruce Elder said, “I last judged the Young At Heart Short Film Awards four years ago, and the calibre of the films in competition this year is simply astounding. It was a near impossible task to pick the best actor out of so many amazing performances, and special mention must be made of Sue Jones in Adam’s Tallit, both Bill Young and Graham Rouse in Two Laps, Brenda Palmer in Punch Drunk and the entire ensemble cast of The Adviser. But for his incredible performance in Punch Drunk, we must award Best Senior Talent to Reg Gorman.”

Punch Drunk writer and director Sam Wark was at the ceremony to accept the $1000 cash prizes for Best Film, and Best Talent on behalf of Reg Gorman, pledging his Best Film cash prize to assist with the medical treatment of a crew member suffering MS.

Our congratulations go to both Wark and Gorman, and indeed to all the filmmakers and actors in this year’s outstanding Young At Heart competition – and thank you as well to all the audience members who attended. Here’s to another fantastic competition in 2013!

Sam Wark accepting the Audience Award for Best Film for Punch Drunk
2012 Young at Heart Short Film Awards Winners

Best Senior Talent (presented by Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Family and Community Services)
Reg Gorman for Punch Drunk

Audience Award for Best Film
Punch Drunk
Written & Directed by Sam Wark
Produced by Leah Hallis & Karate School Films

Bakelite Broadcasters play The Deep Blue Sea screening

2012-03-19T06:02:46Z

The Bakelite Broadcasters
Young At Heart is about so much more than just great movies – we’re also about interacting with the filmmaking community. This year we’ve got Q&As with the documentary filmmakers of I Am Eleven (10am this Sunday at Dendy Opera Quays) and I’m Not Dead Yet (3pm this Thursday at Casula), and the chance to meet the filmmakers in our Short Film Awards at the Gala Evening this Thursday.

But it’s not just about film – we’re also into a bit of live music. We’ve invited Sydney’s only authentic 1920s-30s swing-jazz band singer, Greg Poppleton of the Bakelite Broadcasters, to bring his band down to the screening of war-time romance The Deep Blue Sea, to play at 3pm before the screening this Friday.

That means with your $6 cinema ticket you not only get to see the enigmatic Rachel Weisz in acclaimed film The Deep Blue Sea, but you also get a free half hour performance of live swing-jazz by the world-renowned Bakelite Broadcasters!

Tickets for this session are selling very quickly – grab yours now by clicking here!

Win big with the Young at Heart Raffle!

2012-03-12T01:23:29Z

The Young at Heart Raffle is back for 2012 and we have some fantastic prizes to win this year, with tickets just $2 each or 3 for $5.

Win a $1500 credit towards a Travel Package from Major Sponsor Globus, a double subscription to Sydney Film Festival’s fantastic 2012 programme, tickets to Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, tickets to The Theatre Troupe’s production of Breaker Morant at the Seymour Centre, tickets to comedy show Alzheimer’s the Musical (2011 Edinburgh Fringe sell-out), tickets to IMAX cinema, and two cases of delicious Cellarmasters wines.

First Prize
$1500 credit towards a Globus Travel Package
Double Subscription to Sydney Film Festival (value $450)

Second Prize
Double pass to Sydney Theatre Company’s Under Milk Wood (value $136)
Four tickets to Breaker Morant at Seymour Centre (value $120)
Cellarmasters case of Premium Chardonnay and Shiraz (value $347)

Third Prize
Four tickets to Sydney Comedy Festival’s Alzheimer’s the Musical: A Night to Remember ($132)
Two tickets to IMAX cinema (value $51)
Cellarmasters case of Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc (value $274)

Huge thanks go to all our raffle sponsors for providing these amazing prizes – you can buy tickets to the raffle at all film sessions at Dendy Opera Quays and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.

Short Film Awards Industry Jury Announced

2012-03-02T04:34:52Z

This year’s Young at Heart Short Film Awards features the seven best new Australian short films with seniors in starring roles, in competition for two $1000 cash prizes - and we’re pleased to be able to announce our illustrious industry jury, who’ll be voting on the best actor.

The NSW Seniors Week Award for Best Senior Talent, presented by Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Family and Community Services, will be decided by Seniors Week Ambassador and journalist Bruce Elder, Sydney Travelling Film Festival Manager Claudia Santangelo and Australian Film Festival Director Barry Watterson.

Bruce Elder
With a career as a journalist and author spanning four decades, including his current role at the Sydney Morning Herald covering film, television, travel and popular culture, we’re thrilled to have Seniors Week Ambassador Bruce Elder as a jury member. Bruce will be joined by Barry Watterson, who established the Australian Film Festival in 2009 to recognise great Australian cinema, and Claudia Santangelo, the Manager of the Sydney Travelling Film Festival, a project of the Sydney Film Festival that brings the best world cinema to regional Australia.

Bruce, Claudia and Barry will attend the Short Film Awards Gala Evening at Dendy Opera Quays on Thursday 22 March to decide which actor will receive the $1000 cash prize – tickets to the evening are still available here.

The jury won’t be the only ones exercising their critical opinion, though – audience members at the Young at Heart Short Film Awards screenings at Dendy Opera Quays, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and at 30+ regional screenings will also have the opportunity to vote for which film should win the $1000 cash prize for the Audience Award for Best Film.

Late Bloomers: A Very Special Invitation

2012-01-16T00:16:33Z

PLEASE NOTE: THIS SCREENING IS NOW FULL.

To celebrate Valentine's Day, the Young at Heart team is thrilled to invite you to a very special FREE screening of LATE BLOOMERS (PG). It'll be an opportunity for us to thank you for your ongoing support of Sydney's Seniors Film Festival, and to give you an early bird preview of the 2012 program.

In writer/director Julie Gavras' delightfully warm and wise romantic comedy, the inestimable Isabella Rossellini and Academy Award-winner William Hurt play a couple whose 30-year marriage is starting to run into trouble.

Hurt is Adam, a London-based architect horrified to find himself the recipient of awards that suggest he's reached the end of his career, while wife Mary (Rossellini), taken aback by an unexpected health scare, sets a course of radical action in league with her vivacious best friend (Joanna Lumley). As Adam & Mary respond to these challenges in completely opposite and unpredictable ways (successfully infuriating each other in the process), their 3 adult children plot to find ways to keep them together...

With luminous supporting performances from a mix of established and upcoming British acting talent, Late Bloomers is an elegant and engaging portrait of marriage, and the joys & realities of getting on.

WHEN: 10am, Tuesday 14th February 2012
WHERE: Dendy Opera Quays, 9/2 East Circular Quay, Sydney (on the promenade between Circular Quay & the Sydney Opera House

To reserve your DOUBLE PASS, simply email Tim with your full name & postal address (subject: LATE BLOOMERS).

The first 125 to respond will receive a confirmation email and win 2 tickets to the screening. Only winners will be notified.

Young at Heart 2012 is on its way!

2011-12-14T01:23:46Z

We're thrilled to reveal that Young at Heart is returning for the 7th time in 2012, not just at Dendy Opera Quays in Sydney, but at our new venue, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre!

Come see the amazing films, guests and special events on offer during NSW Seniors Week. The Festival runs March 22 to 25 and if you email Karina or call her on 02 9281 5608, she will send you a free program guide in the post.

In the meantime, we reveal a sneak peak at some of the highlights on our program page. Have a look!

Young at Heart 2011 it's a wrap!

2011-04-29T06:53:10Z

The festival was a great success, with a fantastic audience attending our program of films, Q&A sessions and parties.

Thank you all for making this event so woderful and SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

Winners announced: Young at Heart Short Film Awards

2011-03-28T02:26:29Z

Producer Donna Lyon, actor Chris Haywood, director Oliver Waghorn

March 24th we celebrated the 5th annual Young At Heart Short Film Awards with Sydney’s filmmaking community heading out in force to the event at Dendy Opera Quays.

Taking place as part of the Young At Heart Film Festival, The Young At Heart Short Film Awards showcase the best new Australian short films starring seniors, selected from a national call for submissions.

Finalists competed for two $1,000 cash awards.

The NSW Seniors Week Talent Award for exceptional acting from a person over the age of 60, as judged by the esteemed panel of jurors: actress Robina Beard, Bondi Short Film Festival director Francis Coady, and actress & filmmaker Tara Morice. The Audience Award for Best Film, meanwhile, was voted for by the audience.

Jury members Robina Beard & Tara Morice

Selected from a pool of six finalists, the winners are as follows:

NSW Seniors Week Talent Award for exceptional acting from a person over the age of 60
Colette Mann, JUST DESSERTS
(A film by Nigel Karikari/ 2009)
Starring: Wendy Hughes, Colette Mann, Stephen Leeder

Special mention: Jack Thompson, THE TELEGRAM MAN
(A film by James Khetie)

Viron Papadopoulos introduces "Bad Language"

The Audience Award for Best Film
BAD LANGUAGE
(A film by Viron Papadopoulos/ 2010)
Starring: Chris Asimos

Guests that day included Bruce Beresford and actors Barry Otto, Miranda Otto, Chris Haywood.

Barry Otto & Susan Hills at the Young at Heart Short Film Awards